Combination wristband/label forms have become well known in the business form and medical arts, and commercialized to great success, through the innovative efforts of the inventor herein as well as others through the company which is the assignee hereof. Examples of the inventive wristband/label forms which have met with significant commercial success may be found in just a few representative US patents which have already been issued, and for which multiple patent applications remain in prosecution. See, for example, issued U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,017,293; 7,017,294; 7,047,682; 7,222,448; and 7,325,347.
While many of these wristband/label designs are intended for printer processing through a laser printer, with its generally universal capability to process forms of widely varying dimensions, a couple of these inventive designs have been particularly identified for printing by thermal printers. Some of these inventive designs have also been adapted for use with thermal printers, with their more limited capability to process forms of varying sizes. One such example is shown in FIG. 1 which depicts a fan fold, continuous strip 100 of a plurality of wristband/label assemblies or forms 102, separated by a line of weakness 104 to facilitate each assembly from the strip 100 after being printed. The wristband 106 is itself a self-laminating design, with a center image-receiving area 108 die cut into a top face ply and a laminating portion 110 having a pair of offset straps 112 die cut into a backing layer of laminate. After being printed with the patient's identification information, and then separation of the wristband 106 from the assembly 102, the laminating portion 110 is folded over the image receiving portion 108 and the self laminating wristband 106 is secured to the wearer's wrist with a patch of adhesive 114 on the ends of one or both of the straps 112. A wristband extender 116 is also formed in the wristband portion and may be used to extend either strap 112 to accommodate patient's with bigger wrists. A bottom portion of the assembly has a plurality of self adhering labels 118 die cut into a label portion 120, for separate removal and use.
While this combination wristband/label design, as adapted for use with a thermal printer, has met with great commercial success, it's approximately four inch width has limited its usability to only those thermal printers having a “throat” large enough to accept it. It has become widely accepted in the industry that combination wristband/label forms are best suited to medical applications as admitting a new patient virtually always creates a need not only for a wristband for the patient, but also labels for charts, specimen bottles, utensils, etc. The combo form contains both the wristband and labels which may be printed up at the same time by a single printer to minimize any chance for error, and presented to the admitting personnel for patient in-processing. Thus, there is a long felt need for a combination form, or “combo” as it's called, in the thermal printer medical market. While many of the newer thermal printer designs are capable of accepting and printing a form as large as the aforementioned design, there is a substantial installed base of older thermal printers which have a two inch throat and which are thus unable to accept and use this combination wristband/label form. In addition, as hospitals have been moving to bedside banding of patients utilizing mobile computers and printers on wheeled carts, there is a significant growth market for light, small-throat thermal printers that can be easily mounted on such carts and moved between patient rooms. Thus, while the inventors previous design has partially met this long, unsolved need, and has been received with great commercial success, it has not completely met the needs of the owners of smaller thermal printers.
Yet another factor to be considered with regard to the existing installed base is the matter of wristband expense. For many users, their older thermal printer continues to work just fine and they are reluctant to spend the money to upgrade to a newer thermal printer, much less a laser printer. As cost is an issue for these users, there would be resistance to adopting the form described and shown in FIG. 1 even if it could be made in a two inch format for the reason that its construction is more complex than a simple non-laminating wristband and, hence, more expensive. Although the greater reliability, reduced need to replace wristbands, and other factors if fully considered would prove that the cost of the more complex form is more than justified, many users just can't get past the initial cost and use that factor exclusively to determine which wristband to buy.
The foregoing has created a long felt need for a wristband/label “combo” assembly/form which is capable of being processed through the significant installed based of thermal printers having a two inch throat. This need extends beyond the need of the installed base as newer installations with the smaller thermal printers represent a new application which is increasing this need. Yet another aspect to this need is a combo form that is low cost, with relatively simple design wristbands and labels. Still another aspect of the need, which contributes to the cost, is to eliminate “wastage” or left over and unused materials upon use of the combo form. As the amount of material used in each wristband or label directly contributes to the cost, eliminating wastage can significantly lower the cost of the form.
As an additional solution to the unsolved needs of the owners of thermal printers, as at least partially described above, the inventor herein has succeeded in designing and developing a two inch wide combo form, with the wristband design being non-laminating but also of relatively simple construction so as to reduce cost, and with a label area of alternative embodiments one of which includes providing weakness points allowing a user to tear off labels of varying length and shape to suit the need. The wristband is preferably constructed to occupy the entirety of the wristband area of the combo form, with one end having a peel away tab for exposing adhesive to be used to secure the wristband about the wearer's wrist, to thereby eliminate wastage. The label area has been conceived in alternate embodiments. One embodiment comprises a two ply area with die cuts defining individually separable, self adhering labels; a second embodiment comprises a two ply construction with die cuts defining individually separable, self adhering labels with the labels occupying the entirety of the top ply to minimize wastage, and a third embodiment comprising a two ply construction with a die cut defining a label area with pairs of Vee shaped “nicks” spaced along the upper and lower border thereof to allow a user to conveniently tear the label area at a desired location to shape and size labels as needed. While preferably a plurality of these forms would be provided in a fan fold strip, they may also be provided either as a roll or even as individual forms.
While the principal advantages and features of the present invention have been briefly described above, a fuller understanding of the preferred embodiment of the invention may be attained by referring to the drawings and detailed description that follows.